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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260414T180000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260408T190745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T200311Z
UID:10003929-1776183300-1776189600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Abelian gauge fields and duality
DESCRIPTION:Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard Math & CMSA \nTitle: Abelian gauge fields and duality \nAbstract: Motivated by the new paper arXiv:2603.19161\, I will give a general talk about abelian gauge fields\, including duality. I will start with classical Maxwell theory\, then discuss various “finite” examples\, the typical p-form abelian gauge field\, and some exotic examples such as Ramond–Ramond fields and the B-field in superstring theory. I will then get to the new paper and\, time permitting\, will suggest a very general framework that covers all examples. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_41426/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/Geometry-and-Quantum-Theory-Seminar-04.14.26.docx.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260415T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20250502T183823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T154030Z
UID:10003751-1776240000-1776358800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Swampland and our Universe
DESCRIPTION:Swampland and our Universe \nDates: April 15–16\, 2026 \nLocation: Harvard CMSA\, Room G10\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge MA \nThe swampland program has inspired a range of new ideas in both cosmology and neutrino physics. This workshop brings together experts in neutrino physics\, dark energy\, dark matter\, early-universe cosmology\, and string theory to share insights on these developments and to discuss current and future experimental tests. \nRegister Online \nSpeakers \n\nIgnatios Antoniadis\, IAS\, Princeton\nAlek Bedroya\, Princeton\nMike Boylan-Kolchin\, UT Austin\nM.C. Gonzalez-Garcia\, ICREA U. Barcelona & YITP Stony Brook\nMustapha Ishak-Boushaki\, UT Dallas\nMarc Kamionkowski\, Johns Hopkins\nMiguel Montero\, Institute of Theoretical Physics\, Madrid\nGeorges Obied\, U Chicago\nMatt Reece\, Harvard\nTracy Slatyer\, MIT\n\nOrganizers: Luis Anchordoqui (CUNY Lehman College)\, Sonia Paban (Harvard Physics)\, and  Cumrun Vafa (Harvard Physics) \n  \nSchedule\n(dowload pdf) \nWednesday\, Apr. 15\, 2026 \n8:00–9:00 am\nBreakfast \n9:00–10:00 am\nMarc Kamionkowski\, Johns Hopkins: Dark-matter dynamics and new physics \nAbstract: Galactic halos that are spherical\, stationary\, and composed of collisionless dark matter are easy to describe mathematically. If dark matter decays or interacts or there is some departure from equilibrium or time evolution of the system\, all bets are off. In this case costly N-body simulations are required. If\, however\, one retains the assumption of spherical symmetry\, these systems can be evolved numerically with a far simpler algorithm that is easily coded run in a matter of minutes on a laptop\, rather than a day on a supercomputer. I will describe this approach and illustrate with simulations of self-interacting dark matter\, decaying dark matter (with and without anisotropic velocity distributions\, supermassive-black-hole growth\, tidal stripping\, mixed SIDM/CDM models. Come prepared with your own non-standard dark-matter model; we’ll see if we can simulate it during the talk! \n10:00–10:30 am\nCoffee Break \n10:30–11:30 am\nTracy Slatyer\, MIT: What (more) the CMB can teach us about dark matter \nAbstract: Observations of the cosmic microwave background have already provided critical evidence for dark matter\, but can also stringently constrain a range of dark matter properties. I will outline CMB constraints on dark matter properties based on purely gravitational effects\, and then discuss in more detail how both CMB anisotropies and the blackbody spectrum can be used to test dark matter interactions with the Standard Model. \n11:30 am–1:00 pm\nLunch Break (catered) \n1:00–2:00 pm\nAlek Bedroya\, Princeton\nTBA \n2:00–2:30 pm\nCoffee Break \n2:30–3:30 pm\nMustapha Ishak-Boushaki\, UT Dallas: Persistent and serious challenge to the ΛCDM throne: Evidence for dynamical dark energy rising from combinations of different types of datasets \nAbstract: We derive multiple constraints on dark energy and compare dynamical dark energy models with a time-varying equation of state (w0waCDM) versus a cosmological constant model (LCDM). We use Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) from DESI and DES\, Cosmic Microwave Background from Planck with and without lensing from Planck and ACT (noted CMBL and CMB\, respectively)\, supernovae(SN)\, and cross-correlations between galaxy positions and galaxy lensing from DES. We use pairs or triplets of datasets where we exclude one type of dataset each time and categorize them as “NO SN”\, “NO CMB” and “NO BAO” combinations. In all cases\, we find that the combinations favor the w0waCDM model over LCDM\, with significance ranging from 2.0 to 3.0-sigma. The persistence of this pattern across various dataset combinations even when any of the datasets is excluded supports an overall validation of this trending result regardless of any specific dataset. Next\, we use larger combinations of these datasets after verifying their mutual consistency within the w0waCDM model. We find combinations that give robust significance levels\, with DESI+DESY6BAO+CMBL+SN giving 3.4-sigma. In sum\, while we need to remain cautious\, the trend and pattern of these results beyond any single type of dataset and their associated systematics presents a compelling overall portrait not in favor of the LCDM and constitutes a serious challenge to the model’s reign. A few other cosmological results will be provided. \n3:30–4:00 pm\nCoffee Break \n4:00–5:00 pm\nGeorges Obied\, U Chicago: The Dark Dimension and its interplay with DESI data \nAbstract: In this talk\, I will discuss the motivation for considering an extra mesoscopic Dark Dimension of length l ~ 1 – 10 microns\, taking into account theoretical and observational arguments. I will then talk about cosmological aspects of the Dark Dimension. In particular this scenario leads\, by the universal coupling of the Standard Model sector to bulk gravitons\, to massive spin 2 KK excitations of the graviton in the Dark Dimension (the “dark gravitons”) as an unavoidable dark matter candidate. Observations allow such an extra dimension of size in the micron range. Finally\, I will discuss how this scenario can naturally accommodate features recently observed by the DESI survey such as an effective dark energy equation of state that is smaller than -1. \n   \nThursday\, Apr. 16\, 2026 \n8:00–8:30 am\nBreakfast \n8:30–9:30 am\nMC Gonzalez-Garcia\, ICREA U. Barcelona\, YITP Stony Brook: Massive Neutrinos in 2026: What we know\, what we do not know (yet?)\, and what we do not understand \nAbstract: In this talk I will present an update of the current understanding (and some not understanding) of the neutrino masses and the lepton mixing and some other minimal SM extensions as derived from direct scrutiny of the results of neutrino flavour oscillation experiments\, some other laboratory probes\, and the cosmos. \n9:30–10:00 am\nCoffee Break \n10:00–11:00 am\nMiguel Montero\, IFT\, Madrid: Neutrinos and B-L symmetry in the Dark Dimension scenario \nAbstract: The Dark Dimension proposes the existe of a micrometer-sized large extra dimension\, whose size is tied to the observed small vacuum energy. I will review the scenario\, and then discuss how to embed the B-L global symmetry of the SM\, focusing on one possibility which leads to an explanation of the observed coincidence between neutrino mass scale and the  vacuum energy scale\, while leading to 3 light species of right-handed neutrinos. I will also briefly discuss potential opportunities for detection of the resulting neutrino oscillations. \n11:00–11:30 am\nCoffee Break \n11:30 am–12:30 pm\nIgnatios Antoniadis\, IAS\, Princeton: Searching for the dark dimension in neutrino experiments \nAbstract: Micron size extra dimensions offer a possibility to explain the smallness of neutrino masses if the right-handed neutrino propagates in the higher dimensional bulk. I will discuss the theoretical framework and the experimental signatures of this proposal in present and future experiments of KATRIN prototype\, aiming to measure the magnitude of neutrino masses and to search for extra sterile-type species. \n12:30–1:30 pm\nLunch Break (catered) \n1:30–2:30 pm\nMike Boylan-Kolchin\, UT Austin: Galaxies as Tracers of the Matter Density Field \nAbstract: Galaxy formation is often (rightly) thought of as involving a complex interplay of messy astrophysical processes\, but it also traces the nonlinear evolution of the matter density in the Universe. Remarkably\, it appears that properties of this nonlinear field are intimately connected to properties of the initial linear fluctuations and some basic physics of dark matter interactions. I will explore some of these connections\, with applications that include the surprisingly fast evolution of early galaxy formation as revealed by JWST and properties of the lowest-mass dark matter clumps capable of hosting galaxies in the local Universe.\n2:30–3:00 pm\nCoffee Break \n3:00–4:00 pm\nMatt Reece\, Harvard: Axions from String Theory\, and String Theory from Axions \nAbstract: String theory compactifications contain the right ingredients to produce axion fields that might solve the Strong CP problem or contribute to dark matter or dynamical dark energy in our universe. After briefly reviewing some of these ingredients\, I will frame the inverse question: suppose that an axion is discovered\, and its decay constant is measured in an experiment. Could this help us to locate ourselves in the string landscape? In particular\, I will discuss how an axion could give us clues about the fundamental string scale and the scale of supersymmetry breaking. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/swampland2026/
LOCATION:CMSA 20 Garden Street Cambridge\, Massachusetts 02138 United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/swampland_2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260415T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260415T180000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20250409T160808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T160532Z
UID:10003725-1776272400-1776276000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Millennium Prize Problems Lecture - Peter Sarnak: Riemann Hypothesis
DESCRIPTION:Date: April 15\, 2026 \nTime: 5:00–6:00 pm \nLocation: Harvard Science Center Hall C\, 1 Oxford St.\, Cambridge MA \n  \nSpeaker: Peter Sarnak\, Institute for Advanced Study \nTitle: The Riemann Hypothesis \nAbstract: After reviewing the hypothesis as put forth by Riemann we discuss its generalizations and analogues. We highlight a few of their implications and workarounds\, and probing their truths. \n  \nRegister to attend in-person. \nRegister for the Zoom Webinar. \n  \nRead more about the Riemann Hypothesis at the Clay Math website. \n  \nOrganizers: Martin Bridson\, Clay Mathematics Institute | Dan Freed\, Harvard University and CMSA | Mike Hopkins\, Harvard University \n  \n\n                   \n\nMillennium Prize Problems Lecture Series
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/clay_41526/
LOCATION:Harvard Science Center\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Millennium Prize Problems Lecture,Special Lectures
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/Sarnak_web-ad.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260416T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260317T165726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T134930Z
UID:10003918-1776355200-1776358800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Interpolation for points in $\mathbb{P}^N\, N\geq 2$
DESCRIPTION:Algebra Seminar \nSpeaker: Dipendranath Mahato\, Tulane University \nTitle: Interpolation for points in $\mathbb{P}^N\, N\geq 2$ \nAbstract: Interpolation problems study hypersurfaces in projective space passing through prescribed sets of points. Classically\, one asks how many independent conditions a collection of points imposes on hypersurfaces of a fixed degree\, a question that can be studied algebraically via homogeneous ideals and their Hilbert functions. In this talk\, I will begin with the classical interpolation problem for reduced points and introduce the algebraic framework used to study it. I will then move to fat point schemes\, where points are assigned multiplicities and hypersurfaces are required to vanish to higher order. In this setting\, interpolation problems naturally lead to symbolic powers of ideals and containment relations between symbolic and ordinary powers. I will conclude by discussing open questions\, including potential connections between interpolation problems and combinatorial structures such as matroids.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/algebra-seminar_41626/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G02\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Algebra Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Algebra-Seminar-4.16.26_G02.docx.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260212T190403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260409T160741Z
UID:10003906-1776427200-1776430800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Higgs and Coulomb branches: Geometry and Representation Theory
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Vasily Krylov \nTitle: Higgs and Coulomb branches: Geometry and Representation Theory \nAbstract: Higgs and Coulomb branches of quiver gauge theories form two important families of Poisson varieties that are expected to be exchanged under so-called 3D mirror symmetry. Quantized Coulomb branches are associative algebras deforming the algebras of functions on Coulomb branches. They are closely related to many important representation-theoretic structures\, such as Yangians\, quantum groups\, and Hecke algebras. In this talk\, I will discuss how 3D mirror symmetry\, together with other insights motivated by physics\, yields very explicit answers to purely representation-theoretic questions about representations of some of these quantum groups. Talk is based on joint works with Dinkins\, Karpov\, Klyuev\, and Lance.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-41726/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-4.17.26.docx.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T160000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260401T191402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T201025Z
UID:10003927-1776697200-1776700800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Higher current algebras and chiral algebras
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Charles Young (University of Hertfordshire) \nTitle: Higher current algebras and chiral algebras \nAbstract: Vertex algebras capture physicists’ notion of OPEs in chiral CFTs\, in complex dimension one. For various motivations\, one would like to have analogs of vertex algebras in higher dimensions. Chiral algebras\, in the sense of Beilinson-Drinfeld and Francis-Gaitsgory\, provide a natural framework here\, because they re-express the vertex algebra axioms (which are rather sui generis\, and therefore hard to generalize) as something more recognizable (a chiral algebra is a Lie algebra\, of a sort).\nI will review this\, and then go on to introduce a certain concrete model of the unit chiral algebra in higher dimensions. In higher dimensions one is forced to work up to coherent homotopy in some fashion; in this model it turns out to be in the mildest fashion one could hope for: namely\, one moves from Lie algebras to their homotopy analogs\, L-infinity algebras\, and from chiral algebras to homotopy chiral algebras in a sense introduced by Malikov-Schechtman.\nThe main tool in the talk will be a strict cdga model — the polysimplicial model — of derived global sections of the structure sheaf on configuration space. The hope is that this model will prove well-adapted to doing concrete calculations\, and in that direction\, I will gesture towards a homotopy version of the usual Arnold/Orlik-Solomon relations for broken circuits. \nThis is joint work with Zhengping Gui and Laura Felder and is based largely on the preprint 2506.09728 \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_42026/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-4.20.26.docx.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260421T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260421T180000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260408T190831Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T190853Z
UID:10003930-1776788100-1776794400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Ahsan Khan\, Harvard CMSA \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_42126/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T103000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260130T191058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T141512Z
UID:10003887-1776848400-1776853800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture: Nicolai Reshetikhin (Tsinghua): Asymptotic representation theory
DESCRIPTION:CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture \nDate: April 22\, 2026 \nTime: 9:00 – 10:30 am ET \nLocation: via Zoom Webinar \nSpeaker: Nicolai Reshetikhin\, Yau Mathematical Sciences Center\, Tsinghua University \nTitle: Asymptotic representation theory \nAbstract: Loosely speaking asymptotic representation theory studies representations of “large” groups or algebras. One of the first results in this direction is the study of Plancherel measures on the symmetric group $S_N$ in the limit $N\to \infty$ by Vershik and Kerov and Logan and Shepp. The first part of the talk will be an overview of results on statistics of irreducible representations in large tensor products. Then we focus on more modern results on statistics of tilting and projective modules in large tensor products and on how some problems in asymptotic representation theory are related to dimer models in statistical mechanics. \nRegistration is required for the Zoom link.\nZoom webinar registration link \n  \n\nBeginning in Spring 2020\, the CMSA began hosting a lecture series on literature in the mathematical sciences\, with a focus on significant developments in mathematics that have influenced the discipline\, and the lifetime accomplishments of significant scholars. \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/mathscilit2026_nr/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Math Science Literature Lecture Series,Public Lecture,Special Lectures
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/Mathlit_Reshetikhin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T143000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260128T184941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T184941Z
UID:10003884-1776951000-1776954600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar  \nSpeaker: François Greer\, MSU
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/dgphys_42326/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20251006T173927Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T204701Z
UID:10003806-1776960000-1776963600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Sixth Annual Yip Lecture | Regina Barzilay
DESCRIPTION:Sixth Annual Yip Lecture \nDate: April 23\, 2026 \nTime: 4:00-5:00 pm ET \nLocation: Harvard Science Center Hall A & via Zoom Webinar \nSpeaker: Regina Barzilay\, MIT \n  \nDetails TBA \n  \nIn-person registration \nWebinar registration \n  \nRegina Barzilay is a Delta Electronics professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research interests are in natural language processing\, applications of deep learning to chemistry and oncology. She is a recipient of various awards including the NSF Career Award\, the MIT Technology Review TR-35 Award\, Microsoft Faculty Fellowship and several Best Paper Awards at NAACL and ACL. In 2017\, she received a MacArthur fellowship\, an ACL fellowship and an AAAI fellowship. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University\, and spent a year as a postdoc at Cornell University. \nThe Yip Lecture takes place thanks to the support of Dr. Shing-Yiu Yip. \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/yip-2026/
CATEGORIES:Public Lecture,Special Lectures,Yip Lecture Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/Barzilay-Regina.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T130000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260212T190445Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260212T190445Z
UID:10003907-1777032000-1777035600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Member Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: tba
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-42426/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260424T163000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260413T211415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T140519Z
UID:10003934-1777039200-1777048200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Compression Is All You Need: Modeling Mathematics
DESCRIPTION:Freedman Seminar \nSpeaker: Mike Freedman\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: Compression Is All You Need: Modeling Mathematics \nAbstract: The talk will exposit a recent eponymous arXiv posting with coauthors Vitaly Aksenov\, Eve Bodnia\, and Mike Mulligan. The approach is to think like a physicist and model a seemingly complex bit of reality: mathematics\, by a simple toy model where exact computations can be carried out and then compared with observation.  The models are finitely generated monoids and the data is derived from MathLib a large Lean-based repository. The hierarchical nature of definitions and lemmas in math is modeled by adding redundant generators to the monoids – think of the powers of 10 within the natural numbers which support place notation. Place notation confers an exponential compression of how we describe numbers; exploration of MathLib shows that this theme persists to (human) mathematics writ large. We hope that the observables we describe will help our agents navigate to interesting mathematical destinations. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/freedman_42426/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Freedman Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Freedman-Seminar-4.24.26.docx.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20250724T152524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T162631Z
UID:10003757-1777280400-1777654800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Mathematics and Biology II: Mathematics and Science of Behavior
DESCRIPTION:Mathematics and Biology II: Mathematics and Science of Behavior \nDates: April 27 – May 1\, 2026 \nLocation: Harvard CMSA\, Room G10\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge MA \n\n\nThis meeting will explore the emerging mathematics and science of embodied cognition—the idea that behavior arises not solely from the brain but through the dynamic interaction of brain\, body\, and environment. Understanding how animals sense\, move\, decide\, and coordinate\, from individual sensorimotor loops to collective dynamics\, demands mathematical frameworks that integrate geometry\, dynamics\, stochastic processes\, control theory\, and multiscale physics. The meeting will bring together experimentalists studying behavior across species with theorists and engineers building mathematical models and bio-inspired machines\, to identify shared principles of adaptive behavior. \n\n\nCo-organizers: L. Mahadevan (Harvard)\, Francesco Mori (Harvard CMSA)\, Venkatesh Murthy (Harvard) \nRegister to attend in-person \n  \nSpeakers \n\nPulkit Agrawal\, MIT\nKristin Branson\, HHMI\nAntonio C. Costa\, Sorbonne University/Paris Brain Institute\nNoah Cowan\, Johns Hopkins University\nRobert Datta\, Harvard Medical School\nBen de Bivort\, Harvard University\nOfer Feinerman\, Weizmann Institute of Science\nDeborah Gordon\, Stanford University\nAlbert Kao\, UMass Boston\nAnn Kennedy\, Scripps Research Institute\nHungtang Ko\, Tufts University\nGeorge Lauder\, Harvard University\nBence Ölveczky\, Harvard University\nKirstin Petersen\, Cornell University\nPavan Ramdya\, EPFL\nElizabeth Tibbetts\, University of Michigan\nRobert Wood\, Harvard University\n\n  \n\nSchedule  \nMonday\, Apr. 27\, 2026 \n9:00–9:30 am: Breakfast \n9:30–10:15 am: Deborah Gordon\, Stanford University\nTitle: The dynamics of collective behavior in changing environments\nAbstract: Collective behavior operates without central control\, using interactions among participants adjust to changing conditions. There is enormous diversity in the dynamics of collective behavior\, including in the rate of response to conditions\, in feedback regimes that set whether interactions stimulate or inhibit activity\, and the extent of centralization or modularity of information flow. An ecological perspective suggests how this diversity of collective behavior reflects the dynamics of the environment\, including its stability\, the ratio of resources spent to resources gained\, and the distribution of resources in time and space.\nAs examples\, I will discuss field studies and modelling of the regulation of foraging behavior in two species of ants\, Harvester ant colonies in the desert regulate foraging to manage high costs\, in water loss\, to obtain scattered and stable resources. They use a centralized system\, with the default to remain inactive unless stimulated\, that is slow to adjust foraging activity. In contrast\, the turtle ant colonies form trail networks in the canopy of the tropical forest\, in unstable conditions where activity costs are low\, to find and collect ephemeral and patchy resources. They use a highly modular system\, with the default to sustain activity unless inhibited\, that can rapidly adjust trail networks to changing resources and conditions. \n10:15–10:30 am: Discussion \n10:30–11:00 am: Tea Break \n11:00–11:45 am: Hungtang Ko\, Tufts University\nTitle: Collective mechanical intelligence: how fluid environments mediate self-organization of swarms\nAbstract: Biological collectives across scales self-organize within fluid environments. The mechanical coupling between swarming agents and fluid fields provides opportunities for both passive self-assembly and active\, fluid-mediated communication. However\, while sporadic evidence of collective mechanical intelligence exists\, its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this talk\, I will focus on two key systems: fire ant rafts and fish schools. Using a combination of experiments and mathematical models\, I will show that fire ant rafts leverage passive interfacial forces for self-assembly and self-stabilization. Furthermore\, I will demonstrate how schools of giant danio utilize mechanically intelligent formations in 3D\, and discuss how swarm robotics may provide the key to future research in collective mechanical intelligence. \n11:45 am–12:00 pm: Discussion \n12:00–1:30 pm: Catered Lunch \n1:30–2:15 pm: Albert Kao\, UMass Boston \n2:15–2:30 pm: Discussion \n2:30–3:15 pm: Ann Kennedy\, Scripps Research Institute\nTitle: Neural mechanisms that gate the expression of motivated behaviors \n3:15–4:30 pm: Discussion \n4:30–5:30 pm: CMSA Colloquium: Ofer Feinerman\, Weizmann Institute of Science \n  \nTuesday\, April 28\, 2026 \n9:00–9:30 am: Breakfast \n9:30–10:15 am: Ben de Bivort\, Harvard University\nTitle: Bayesian Inference on biophysical models of connectomes\nAbstract: Recent progress in connectomics has opened new frontiers for understanding the underlying principles of neural circuits. By leveraging high-resolution maps of synaptic connections\, computational models can simulate neural dynamics with unprecedented detail. However\, it remains challenging to parsimoniously integrate circuit activity data with connectomic information to make biological in- sights. We propose a Bayesian framework as a principled method for bringing to bear existing data\, enabling uncertainty quantification for inferring parameters of interest\, as well as for predicted circuit outputs. To demonstrate this approach\, we implement a simple spiking neuron model using leaky- integrate-and-fire dynamics in the Drosophila olfactory circuit\, incorporating available firing rate data. We evaluate how models with varying levels of biological detail fit experimental data and examine how training on different subsets of data influences model predictions. \n10:15–10:30 am: Discussion \n10:30–11:00 am: Trainee talk: Yasuko Isoe\, Harvard University\nTitle: Divergent spatiotemporal integration of whole-field visual motion in medaka and zebrafish larvae\nAbstract: Cross-species comparisons offer powerful leverage for identifying conserved and divergent neural computations underlying innate behavior. Visual motion integration is a fundamental operation that stabilizes an animal’s position relative to its environment\, yet how its underlying algorithms vary across closely related vertebrate brains remains poorly understood. We investigated how zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) larvae implement visual motion integration using both free-swimming behavioral assays and head-fixed\, tail-free preparations\, the latter allowing us to confirm and extend our findings under precise stimulus control. Using whole-field motion stimuli\, we found that the two species employ distinct spatiotemporal filtering strategies. Medaka pool motion signals over larger visual fields and weight peripheral inputs more strongly\, whereas zebrafish rely more on motion signals directly beneath the body. Temporally\, zebrafish respond robustly to brief stimuli\, while medaka require longer stimulus durations and sustain motion-driven activity well after stimulus offset. Decomposition of turning behavior revealed separable control modules for large and small corrective maneuvers\, with species differences arising primarily from prolonged temporal integration in medaka. Together\, our results demonstrate how alterations in basic computational motifs — spatiotemporal pooling\, gain\, and persistence — can generate divergent visuomotor strategies across closely related vertebrate brains\, offering a window into the evolutionary diversification of sensorimotor computation. \n11:00–11:30 am: Trainee talk: Trainee Talk: Siddharth Jayakumar\, Harvard University\nTitle: Mice follow scent trails using predictive policies\nAbstract: Animals must extract reliable information from noisy sensory signals. In olfaction\, this is especially challenging\, since cues are sparse and must be actively sampled. We asked how mice navigate odor trails under these conditions. Using an “infinite” paper treadmill\, we find that mice rapidly learn to track trails with high precision. Disrupting bilateral sampling introduces systematic\, lateralized errors\, consistent with a comparison of signals across the two sides. Individual inhalations near the trail trigger rapid corrective movements.\nInterestingly\, we find that mice do not follow trails purely reactively: deviations in tracking at unexpected trail bends reflected recent history\, indicating the use of short-term memory. We have begun to investigate the neural substrates of this behavior\, focusing on how sensory signals and predictive information are represented in the brain. Broadly\, our results suggest that odor-guided navigation depends on combining immediate sensory input with a short-term internal estimate\, enabling reliable tracking despite sparse cues. \n11:30 am–12:00 pm: Discussion \n12:00–1:30 pm: Catered Lunch \n1:30–2:15 pm: Noah Cowan\, Johns Hopkins University\nTitle: Toward a Control Theory for Active Sensing\nAbstract: Active sensing is often defined as “movement for the purpose of sensing.” Here\, I take a different perspective—that active sensing in biological systems is not a distinct class of behaviors\, but rather a set of movement phenomena that arise from a control objective. Biological sensors adapt to persistent stimuli\, acting like high-pass filters that tend to block “DC.” Such “change-detecting” sensors can support efficient coding with a high dynamic range\, and in engineering\, bio-inspired event cameras are similar: they transmit information only when a pixel changes and\, as such\, are extremely fast and make efficient use of bandwidth for the right applications. However\, such “AC” sensors pose technical challenges for control. Specifically\, event-like biological sensors can cause a nonlinear system (1) to lose local linear observability\, and (2) to become impossible to stabilize about an equilibrium point (Biswas\, Sontag\, Cowan\, Eur J Control\, 2025). Active sensing behaviors must emerge for stable control\, even in the somewhat paradoxical setting where the task-level goal is to remain stationary. Here\, I will discuss my lab’s progress in analyzing how animals use active sensing behaviors to format sensory information\, enhancing observability and control. I will also present our efforts to formalize controller synthesis with event-like sensors. \n2:15–2:30 pm: Discussion \n2:30–3:15 pm: Robert Datta\, Harvard Medical School \n3:15–4:30 pm: Discussion \n  \nWednesday\, April 29\, 2026 \n9:00–9:30 am: Breakfast \n9:30–10:15 am: Kristin Branson\, HHMI\nTitle: How can generative AI help us understand animal behavior?\nAbstract: Understanding animal behavior at an algorithmic level — what animals attend to\, how they form internal world models\, goals\, and plans\, and how state maps to action — remains a central challenge in neuroethology. Large-scale behavioral experiments now produce trajectory datasets of extraordinary scale and complexity\, but existing approaches necessarily compress this complexity to just a few dimensions. We argue that generative AI offers a path toward rich\, query-able models of the data. We adapt transformer-based sequence modeling to multi-agent animal keypoint trajectories\, treating behavior forecasting as analogous to next-token prediction. Our agent-based network inputs biologically-motivated sensory representations and outputs the distribution of future pose velocities. We show that the model captures statistical properties of the behavioral distribution. We have built a Python library that encapsulates the complexity of transforms relating raw keypoints and model inputs and outputs to make these tools extensible by the NeuroAI community and accessible to theorists and experimentalists. Finally\, we argue that mechanistic interpretability methods allow us to query trained models through the natural framework of artificial neuroethology experiments. \n10:15–10:30 am: Discussion \n10:30–11:00 am: Tea Break \n11:00–11:30 am: Trainee talk: Golnar Gharooni Fard\, Harvard University\nTitle: The Geometry and Dynamics of Embodied Cognition: From Collective Architecture to Interspecies Navigation\nAbstract: Biological behavior is fundamentally an emergent property of the coupling between an agent’s physical form\, its environment\, and local interaction rules. In this talk\, I explore the mathematical principles of this “embodied cognition” across two distinct scales: the stigmergic spatial memory of honeybee collectives and the real-time dynamic coordination of human-bird mutualism. I’ll start by discussing static embodied intelligence through the lens of honeycomb construction. Using 3D-printed foundations to introduce controlled geometric frustration (including misalignment angles and lattice shifts) I demonstrate how honeybee collectives resolve structural mismatches through the adaptive placement of topological defects. I will show how these complex behavioral responses can be modeled as a physics-based potential minimization problem\, proving that the hive’s “intelligence” is a distributed response to local geometric cues. In the second part\, I transition to “dynamic” coordination by examining the mutualistic search for honeybee nests between humans and honeyguide birds in Africa. Unlike the persistent memory of the wax comb\, this interspecies cooperation requires real-time processing of noisy\, stochastic signals. I present a data-driven model of this interaction as a coupled tracking problem. By analyzing the interplay between human engagement and a leaky integrator memory constant\, I identify the sweet spots of temporal integration required to successfully filter bird behavior and maintain goal-oriented navigation. Together\, these two projects demonstrate that a data-driven physics-inspired modeling framework\, can uncover the fundamental rules of agent-environment coupling that drive adaptive behavior across biological scales. \n11:30 am–12:00 pm: Trainee talk: Wenyi Zhang\, Harvard University\nTitle: Mechanisms of Setpoint Control in Drosophila Navigation System\nAbstract: Navigation provides a powerful system for studying how animals balance behavioral persistence with flexibility. During navigation\, fruit flies often default to fast straight walking (or “menotaxis”) in a barren environment\, maintaining a stable heading setpoint over a long period of time. Conversely\, when the local environment is enriched with sensory stimuli\, flies often explore the environment with more frequent heading changes\, either through directed steering driven by a sequence of updating setpoints\, or through undirected turning driven by temporarily lifting the setpoint control. Although this framework suggests a central role for the setpoint in guiding navigation\, the neural mechanisms for flexible setpoint control remain unclear.\nHere we identified h∆A\, a central complex cell type involved in setpoint control. In an aversive heat paradigm\, hΔA played an important role in the fly’s sensory-driven deviation from the menotactic goal direction. We characterized hΔA population activity and found that it carries two separable activity components: a bump-like signal that encodes a slowly varying travel-direction-related setpoint\, and a spatially uniform signal associated with turning. We further identified modulatory inputs to hΔA that shape h∆A activity. Together\, these results support a model in which short- and long-timescale setpoints compete for steering control\, and suggest a circuit mechanism by which flies balance directional persistence with flexible reorientation under changing sensory conditions. \n12:00–1:30 pm: Catered Lunch \n1:30–2:15 pm: Bence Ölveczky\, Harvard University\nTitle: Using neuro-biomechanical simulations to probe neural control of learned skills\nAbstract: The goal of my lab is to decipher the circuit logic by which the brain learns and controls motor skills. The standard mechanistic approach is to dissect the underlying circuits brain area-by-brain area\, inferring function by relating recordings and perturbations within each to behavior. This runs into fundamental problems in highly recurrent systems\, where activity in any one node is shaped by the dynamics of the whole\, a problem compounded by the fact that the circuits we probe control a complex biomechanical body and not measurable features of behavior. I will discuss these challenges and present results suggesting that neuro-biomechanical simulation\, leveraging advances in physics simulation and AI\, can offer a powerful alternative window into the neural circuits underlying learned skills. \n2:15–2:30 pm: Discussion \n2:30–3:15 pm: Pavan Ramdya\, EPFL\nTitle: Towards fly-inspired legged robots\nAbstract: I will discuss our efforts to build biologically-inspired legged robots using behavioral measurements\, neuromechanical simulations\, and anatomical studies of Drosophila melanogaster. \n3:15–4:30 pm: Discussion \n  \nThursday\, April 30\, 2026 \n9:00–9:30 am: Breakfast \n9:30–10:15 am: Pulkit Agrawal\, MIT \n10:15–10:30 am: Discussion \n10:30–11:00 am: Tea Break \n11:00–11:45 am: Antonio C. Costa\, Sorbonne University/Paris Brain Institute\nTitle: Unraveling the structure of behavioral variation: a dynamical approach to naturalistic data\nAbstract: Animal behavior varies widely\, both within the same individual over time and between individuals. While often overlooked\, this variation reflects hidden control variables and mechanisms that were shaped by evolution. For example\, variation in behavioral traits can help populations withstand environmental change\, while atypical motor patterns in neurological disorders may offer clues for personalized therapies. Comparing such complex behaviors is difficult. When dynamics are nonlinear and unfold over multiple timescales\, standard metrics based on summary statistics often miss meaningful differences. To address this\, we introduce a framework that encodes multiscale dynamics to compare behavior from data. By modeling nonlinear dynamics probabilistically (using transfer operators inferred from time-series data)\, we define a distance metric that captures behavioral differences across timescales. Tailored to finite\, noisy datasets\, our approach identifies principal axes of variation and enables rigorous clustering of individual trajectories. We demonstrate this framework in various biological systems\, including bacterial chemotaxis and larval zebrafish locomotion\, where the inferred axes of behavioral variation reflect underlying physiological variables and developmental histories. \n11:45 am–12:00 pm: Discussion \n12:00–1:30 pm: Catered Lunch \n1:30–2:15 pm: Elizabeth Tibbetts\, University of Michigan\nTitle: What paper wasps can teach us about the evolution of animal minds\nAbstract: Why do animals differ in their cognitive abilities? Some animals fail at apparently simple tasks\, while others have a remarkable capacity to collect\, retain\, and use information from the environment to guide their behavior. Although paper wasps brains are smaller than a grain of rice\, Tibbetts will show that wasps can perform seemingly complex behaviors like individual face recognition\, transitive inference\, social eavesdropping\, and concept learning. She will also describe experiments that take advantage of natural variation in behavior within and among wasp species to test how social interactions shape the development and evolution of cognitive abilities. \n2:15–2:30 pm: Discussion \n2:30–3:15 pm: Robert Wood\, Harvard University\nTitle: The Mechanical Side of Artificial Intelligence\nAbstract: Artificial Intelligence research typically focuses on perception\, learning\, and control methods to enable autonomous agents\, including robots\, to make and act on decisions in real-world scenarios. However\, even the most capable AI without a well-designed physical structure is of minimal use for canonical robotics tasks. Our research is focused on the design\, mechanics\, materials\, and manufacturing of novel robot platforms that make perception\, control\, or action easier or more robust for natural\, unstructured\, and often unpredictable environments. Key principles in this pursuit include bioinspired designs\, smart materials for novel sensors and actuators\, and the development of multi-scale\, multi-material manufacturing methods. This talk will illustrate this philosophy by highlighting the creation of three classes of robots with unique hardware challenges: bioinspired microrobots\, soft-bodied robots for manipulation\, and robots for interacting with delicate marine life. \n3:15–4:30 pm: Discussion \n  \nFriday\, May 1\, 2026 \n9:00–9:30 am: Breakfast \n9:30–10:15 am: George Lauder\, Harvard University\nTitle: Fish schooling behavior from kinematics to hydrodynamics to energetics\nAbstract: Do fish moving in a school reduce their energetic costs compared to swimming alone? If so\, how does collective motion reduce the energy needed to move? Only within the last two years have experimental studies directly demonstrated that fish swimming in a group have lower energy expenditure than solitary locomotion. Most studies of how fish move in a collective have focused on understanding the potential benefits of swimming in fixed relative positions. But recent experiments on fish schooling behavior have revealed that fish within the school are nearly constantly rearranging their relative positions. In this talk I will show how fish in a school can save energy even if they do not maintain fixed positions. Analyses of water flow patterns within fish schools have been used to resolve this “paradox” and show that fish movement within a school creates hydrodynamic shelters with zones of reduced flow velocity that nearby fish can take advantage of. \n10:15–10:30 am: Discussion \n10:30–11:00 am: Tea Break \n11:00–11:45 am: Kirstin Petersen\, Cornell University\nTitle: Harnessing Embodied Intelligence in Robot Collectives\nAbstract: In the Collective Embodied Intelligence Lab\, we study embodied intelligence as a complement to artificial intelligence in robot collectives. Our work spans scales and mechanisms\, from behaviors encoded in robot morphology to collective behaviors that emerge through physical coupling and stigmergic coordination when many robots operate in shared environments. Many of these principles are inspired by biological systems\, including our studies of construction and aggregation in honeybees and subterranean and mound-building termites. In this talk\, I will present examples from our lab\, including soft robots that exploit viscous fluid–structure interactions for articulated control\, microrobots that leverage magnetic and hydrodynamic interactions to produce a range of collective behaviors\, and entangled robotic matter that achieves cohesive motion through transient physical entanglement. Together\, these systems illustrate how intelligence can be distributed across morphology\, interactions\, and shared substrates\, enabling scalable and robust robot collectives. \n11:45 am–12:00 pm: Discussion \n12:00–1:30 pm: Catered Lunch \n1:30–4:30 pm: Discussion \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/bioshape2_2026/
LOCATION:CMSA 20 Garden Street Cambridge\, Massachusetts 02138 United States
CATEGORIES:Programs
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T160000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260210T203936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T203936Z
UID:10003899-1777302000-1777305600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Charles Young\, University of Hertfordshire
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_42726/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T173000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260324T172426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T172426Z
UID:10003924-1777307400-1777311000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Colloquium
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Ofer Feinerman\, Weizmann Institute of Science \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-42726/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T180000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260410T145217Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T145217Z
UID:10003932-1777392900-1777399200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Lorenzo Riva\, Harvard CMSA \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_42826/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T170000
DTSTAMP:20260414T211116
CREATED:20260302T145226Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T200426Z
UID:10003913-1777564800-1777568400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Transcendental Epsilon Multiplicity via Divisor Volumes
DESCRIPTION:Algebra Seminar \nSpeaker: Sudipta Das\, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research \nTitle: Transcendental Epsilon Multiplicity via Divisor Volumes \nAbstract:  In this talk\, our goal is to establish a structural bridge between asymptotic commutative algebra and transcendence theory to show that there exists an ideal in a Noetherian local ring whose epsilon multiplicity is transcendental. By equating the local-cohomological definition of epsilon multiplicity to a global divisorial volume integral on a projective bundle\, we apply Baker’s theorem on linear forms in logarithms to prove that the resulting arithmetic invariant falls strictly outside the field of algebraic numbers. This talk is based on collaborative work with Vinh Pham and Stephen Landsittel. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/algebra-seminar_43026/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Algebra Seminar
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR